Al-Quds Al-Arabi
Encyclopedia
Al-Quds Al-Arabi (English
: "Arab Jerusalem") is an independent pan-Arab daily newspaper
published in London
since 1989. The paper is owned by Palestinian
expatriates, and edited by Abd al-Bari Atwan
who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp
in Gaza Strip
in 1950. Its motto is ( "Daily, Political, Independent"). Its circulation is estimated to be somewhere between 15,000 and 50,000. The paper has a reputation for being more populist and aggressive in its defense of the Palestinian cause and by extension more confrontational toward Israel, particularly when compared to the other prominent off-shore pan-Arab dailies, like Asharq al-Awsat or Al-Hayat, which are owned by members of the Saudi royal family. As indicated by its motto, the paper stresses this distinction by emphasizing its independent ownership and viewpoint relative to the other prominent pan-Arab dailies.
traveled to Afghanistan in 1996 to interview Osama bin Laden. Like Al-Jazeera, contacts with terrorist groups such as Al-Qa'ida have consistently stirred attention and controversy in the West toward Atwan and the newspaper, particularly in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
This newspaper was the first, or among the first, to publish a number of communiqué
s threatening, and taking responsibility for, Islamist and terrorist violence. Those include the fatāwā of Osama bin Laden
and several statements from the person or people who sign themselves the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades. On the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Atwan wrote: "The events of 11 September will be remembered as the end of the US empire. This is because all empires collapse when they pursue the arrogance of power." However, it should also be noted that Atwan has explicitly condemned terrorist attacks on innocent Western civilians, as he wrote in one of his two books, The Secret History of al-Qa'ida: "I do not endorse or in any way support al-Qa'ida's agenda" and "I utterly condemn the attacks on innocent citizens in the West".
, and is owned and published by "The Al-Quds Al-Arabi Foundation for Publishing and Media". The only editor listed on the masthead is editor-in-chief Abd al-Bari Atwan
. The newspaper is printed in London
, New York
, and Frankfurt
, and then circulated in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and North America. In addition to the London headquarters, the paper has offices in Cairo
, Rabat
, and Amman
.
Additionally, Editor-in-Chief Abd al-Bari Atwan
writes a well-known opinion column, which is featured prominently on the front page.
numbers, of around 50,000. By point of comparison, rival London-based Arabic press such as Al-Hayat and Asharq Al-Awsat are generally estimated in the 200,000 to 300,000 range.
of Foreign Policy called Al-Quds Al-Arabi "the most populist / 'rejection camp' of the major Arab papers." It is often paired with Asharq Al-Awsat to represent the polar extremes in the pan-Arab press.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: "Arab Jerusalem") is an independent pan-Arab daily newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
since 1989. The paper is owned by Palestinian
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
expatriates, and edited by Abd al-Bari Atwan
Abd al-Bari Atwan
Abdel Bari Atwan is the editor-in chief of the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.-Personal and career background:Abdel Bari Atwan was born on February 17, 1950 in Deir el-Balah, a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, two years after the creation of Israel. His parents Zilfa...
who was born in a Palestinian refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
in Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
in 1950. Its motto is ( "Daily, Political, Independent"). Its circulation is estimated to be somewhere between 15,000 and 50,000. The paper has a reputation for being more populist and aggressive in its defense of the Palestinian cause and by extension more confrontational toward Israel, particularly when compared to the other prominent off-shore pan-Arab dailies, like Asharq al-Awsat or Al-Hayat, which are owned by members of the Saudi royal family. As indicated by its motto, the paper stresses this distinction by emphasizing its independent ownership and viewpoint relative to the other prominent pan-Arab dailies.
History
Although founded in 1989, Al-Quds Al-Arabi first came to global attention after Abd al-Bari AtwanAbd al-Bari Atwan
Abdel Bari Atwan is the editor-in chief of the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.-Personal and career background:Abdel Bari Atwan was born on February 17, 1950 in Deir el-Balah, a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, two years after the creation of Israel. His parents Zilfa...
traveled to Afghanistan in 1996 to interview Osama bin Laden. Like Al-Jazeera, contacts with terrorist groups such as Al-Qa'ida have consistently stirred attention and controversy in the West toward Atwan and the newspaper, particularly in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.
This newspaper was the first, or among the first, to publish a number of communiqué
Communique
A communiqué is a brief report or statement released by a public agency.Communiqué may also refer to:* Communiqué , a rock band* Communiqué , 1979* Communiqué , 1987...
s threatening, and taking responsibility for, Islamist and terrorist violence. Those include the fatāwā of Osama bin Laden
Fatawā of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden wrote what is referred to as a fatwā in August 1996, and was one of several signatories of another and shorter fatwa in February 1998. Both documents appeared initially in the Arabic-language London newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi...
and several statements from the person or people who sign themselves the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades. On the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Atwan wrote: "The events of 11 September will be remembered as the end of the US empire. This is because all empires collapse when they pursue the arrogance of power." However, it should also be noted that Atwan has explicitly condemned terrorist attacks on innocent Western civilians, as he wrote in one of his two books, The Secret History of al-Qa'ida: "I do not endorse or in any way support al-Qa'ida's agenda" and "I utterly condemn the attacks on innocent citizens in the West".
Organization
The paper was founded and is headquartered in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and is owned and published by "The Al-Quds Al-Arabi Foundation for Publishing and Media". The only editor listed on the masthead is editor-in-chief Abd al-Bari Atwan
Abd al-Bari Atwan
Abdel Bari Atwan is the editor-in chief of the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.-Personal and career background:Abdel Bari Atwan was born on February 17, 1950 in Deir el-Balah, a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, two years after the creation of Israel. His parents Zilfa...
. The newspaper is printed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, and then circulated in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and North America. In addition to the London headquarters, the paper has offices in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
, and Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
.
Content
The daily published newspaper is currently 20 pages in length. The first half or so of the paper is devoted to political news from around the world, with a focus on what it terms Arab affairs. The paper also has sections devoted to cultural news and other miscellaneous items, as well as business (2 pages) and sports sections (1 page). The paper devotes three pages to op-ed writing, divided into what it calls "The Al-Quds Pulpit" (a forum for reader submission), "Orbits" (or trends), and "Opinion." The paper therefore devotes significantly more space to opinion, but less space to business news and to sports, when compared with competitors like Al-Hayat or Asharq Al-Awsat.Additionally, Editor-in-Chief Abd al-Bari Atwan
Abd al-Bari Atwan
Abdel Bari Atwan is the editor-in chief of the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.-Personal and career background:Abdel Bari Atwan was born on February 17, 1950 in Deir el-Balah, a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, two years after the creation of Israel. His parents Zilfa...
writes a well-known opinion column, which is featured prominently on the front page.
Circulation
Circulation data for Arab media is based on estimates, which vary widely for Al-Quds Al-Arabi. Former American diplomat and media scholar William Rugh estimated Al-Quds Al-Arabi's circulation around 15,000 in 2004. More recent estimates cite significantly higher circulationNewspaper circulation
A newspaper's circulation is the number of copies it distributes on an average day. Circulation is one of the principal factors used to set advertising rates. Circulation is not always the same as copies sold, often called paid circulation, since some newspapers are distributed without cost to the...
numbers, of around 50,000. By point of comparison, rival London-based Arabic press such as Al-Hayat and Asharq Al-Awsat are generally estimated in the 200,000 to 300,000 range.
Reputation
Marc LynchMarc Lynch
Marc Lynch is an "Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs" at The George Washington University, where he is also director of both the Institute for Middle East Studies and the Middle East Studies Program. Lynch is also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for a New...
of Foreign Policy called Al-Quds Al-Arabi "the most populist / 'rejection camp' of the major Arab papers." It is often paired with Asharq Al-Awsat to represent the polar extremes in the pan-Arab press.
External links
- Al-Quds Al-Arabi website (Arabic)
- PDF of Al-Quds Al-Arabi print edition (Updated Daily) (Arabic)